Ex-Foreign Minister Maehara may run in DPJ race: party sources+

TOKYO, Aug. 21 Kyodo -
Speculation is growing that former Foreign Minister Seiji Maehara will run in the upcoming Democratic Party of Japan presidential election, party sources said Sunday.
A source close to Maehara said he ''is leaning toward running.''
While Maehara has not yet said clearly if he will run, a Kyodo News poll this weekend found he is the most popular politician among the potential candidates to succeed Naoto Kan as ruling party leader and prime minister of Japan.
It was also learned Sunday that Maehara told Finance Minister Yoshihiko Noda, who has expressed his interest in running, during a meeting on Saturday that it is difficult for his intraparty group to support Noda, sources close to Maehara said.
Maehara also spoke against a tax increase, as proposed by Noda to secure funds to pay for rebuilding areas of northeastern Japan devastated by the March earthquake and tsunami.
''I cannot accept a tax hike when the economy is in a severe state, given the yen's appreciation,'' one source quoted Maehara as saying.
Meanwhile, DPJ Secretary General Katsuya Okada said Sunday the suspension of the party membership of former DPJ leader Ichiro Ozawa should not be lifted.
''We decided on the suspension as a political party following months of debate,'' Okada, the DPJ's No. 2 official, said in a program of public broadcaster NHK. ''We have to provide a clear explanation if we review it.''
Okada appeared to take issue with remarks made recently by some DPJ leaders expected to run in the party presidential election, and who have called for Ozawa's party membership to be reinstated for the sake of party unity.
The DPJ suspended Ozawa's party membership following his indictment for violating the political funds control law, and until the verdict in his forthcoming trial is finalized. That decision angered many Diet members belonging to the Ozawa wing of the DPJ, the largest group within the ruling party with about 120 members.
Securing the support of Ozawa's followers has become one of the primary focuses of the upcoming leadership contest.
Some potential candidates to become the new DPJ leader, including economy minister Banri Kaieda, former land minister Sumio Mabuchi and former environment minister Sakihito Ozawa, have shown a positive stance toward lifting the suspension.
Maehara has said the suspension should be maintained.
On the NHK television program, Okada also spoke of the need for a tax increase to finance post-disaster reconstruction, saying, ''Can we put it off? We should not leave the burden on future generations.''
On the DPJ presidential election, Okada suggested the vote will be held on Aug. 29, after official campaigning starts on Aug. 27.
Among the potential candidates, Finance Minister Noda has expressed his readiness to form a grand coalition with the main opposition Liberal Democratic Party and its ally the New Komeito party.
On Sunday, however, LDP President Sadakazu Tanigaki reiterated his unwillingness to form a grand coalition.
''It should be quite exceptional and it is not in the cards,'' said Tanigaki. ''We will cooperate in addressing the post-disaster reconstruction, but we will deal with other issues on merit.''